I&B Ministry
Piracy gets a reality check as India sets up anti-piracy task force
MUMBAI: India’s pirates may soon find their screens going blank. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has announced the formation of a dedicated task force to crack down on online piracy, a menace that drains Rs 224 billion annually from the country’s entertainment industry, according to the 2024 Rob Report by EY and IAMAI.
The scale of the problem is staggering with 51 per cent of Indian media consumers admitting to watching pirated content, both theatres and OTT platforms are losing revenue hand over fist. The Cinematograph Amendment Act 2023 had already introduced stricter penalties and empowered authorities to clamp down on illegal recordings and transmissions. Now, with a specialised task force, the fight against piracy is set to gain sharper teeth.
Welcoming the move, JioStar CEO and IAMAI Digital Entertainment Committee (DEC) chair Kiran Mani called it a “timely and necessary step” that would directly channel industry expertise into decisive solutions. “By bringing together the collective experience of the ecosystem, we can help shape solutions that protect India’s creative economy and drive long-term growth,” he said.
Echoing the urgency, Inshorts co-founder and CEO DEC Co-chair Deepit Purkayastha noted that piracy remains “one of the biggest hurdles” for the sector. “This task force is a chance to work hand in hand with the government to find solutions that really work. Together, we can set the stage for a stronger and more trusted entertainment industry,” he added.
With stricter laws in place, industry leaders aligned, and the new task force gearing up, India’s media and entertainment sector has a rare chance to curb piracy, safeguard creativity, and expand its global influence. For once, it looks like the pirates may not have the last laugh.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
